SOIL AND SEEDING 63 



diseases of clover to be avoided, and various diseases of 

 beans and peas. There is also a disease of alfalfa, the 

 'leaf spot/ which is causing damage in some regions. 

 These are only a few of many diseases liable to be trans- 

 mitted in soils. The farmer should therefore be on his 

 guard. The danger from such sources is by no means 

 imaginary. The Department of Agriculture has had 

 specific cases of such accidental distribution reported, 

 and if the business of selling soil for inoculation is made 

 to flourish by farmers purchasing without question 

 'alfalfa soil,' 'cowpea soil,' etc., there is every reason to 

 believe that experience will demonstrate the folly of 

 such haphazard methods. 



"Of scarcely less importance is the danger of dissemi- 

 nating noxious weeds and insect pests through this plan 

 of inoculation by means of soils. Even though weeds 

 may not have been serious in the field, the great number 

 of dormant seeds, requiring but a slight change in sur- 

 roundings to produce germination, is always a menace. 

 The enormous damage to crops caused by introduced 

 insects and weeds should convey a warning and lead to 

 caution. It is not the part of good judgment to view 

 the risk as a slight one.'' 



OTHER METHODS OF INOCULATION 



There are two or three better ways of inoculating land 

 than by using a neighbor's soil. Some alfalfa raisers 

 recommend the sowing of alfalfa meal with the seed. 

 Another plan which appears reasonable and practicable 

 is for the farmer who wishes to introduce alfalfa to buy 

 alfalfa hay the year before and feed it to his live stock; 



